Smithfield Foods (SFD) , the meat producer, is seen earning 44 cents a share in its fiscal second quarter on revenue of $3.3 billion.

Shares of Apple (AAPL) declined 6.4% to $538.79 on Wednesday on reports of a margin hike at one clearing firm and concerns over component supplies falling next year. It was Apple's biggest single-day loss in four years.

Apple shares are also nearing a "death cross," when a stock's 50-day moving average cuts below the 200-day moving average.

Deutsche Bank (DB) used fuzzy math during the financial crisis to avoid more than $12 billion in derivatives losses, according to allegations made by former bank staff in a report by The Financial Times.